Once
by Scribbling Death
Summary: Memories are a dangerous thing. So many people get lost in theirs, and wallow in darkness. Sometimes, though, they're also the most valuable treasure you'll ever have. Oneshot. [NejiTen]


_**Author's Notes: My first Naruto story (and first one-shot ever). Hope you enjoy it! Simple flashbacks, slight Neji/Tenten. Credit to devilxblood for being my beta.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or anything in it.**_

**_Part of A Walk down Memory's Lane series._**

**_

* * *

_**

ONCE

"**I want to be a Weapons' Mistress!" a young voice said. "I'm gonna be the best Weapons' Mistress ever, and the leader of ANBU's weapon division, just like 'kaa-san."**

"**Really, Tenten-chan?"**

"**Yeah!"**

"**Well then, there are a few things I need to tell you. When you become Konoha's Weapons' Mistress and the ANBU Weapon Division's head, don't just protect the people because it's your duty. Protect and help Konoha because you love it." Here, the woman paused, coughing, before she continued. "And when you reach your positions, make sure make sure you'll be serving a good hokage. One that would put his life on the line not only for the people he cares for, but for everyone in Konoha. Serve a hokage who is loved by his people, not just respected. Don't just give him your loyalty—love and respect him as well. But, before all that, find people you need to protect no matter what. Once you make your decisions, never lose your path. Don't be something you're not—be you."**

Many years later, when that conversation had long been shoved to the recesses of the young girl's mind, a figure stood in the Academy courtyard. She looked at the newest students gathering for their sensei, listening carefully at the six-year olds' chattering voices. Hearing their conversations that reminded her, wistfully, of similar discussions so many years before…

_"Hey, Leiko-chan," someone said in a whisper. "It's so big…and there are so many people. Aren't you scared?" _

_"Nah." A toss of hair. "C'mon, we're learning to be kunoichis, who'd be scared of a bunch of kids?" _

_"...yeah, I guess."_

"_Buck up, Kimi-chan. You're an Inuzaka. Aren't you supposed to be loud and all confident, like your idiotic cousin Kiba?"_

"_W-well, I suppose. But—"_

"_No buts about it. Oooh, look. There's Koko. How'd she even get in? I mean, look at her—" The two walked off, and a small, unnoticed child slipped away to another area._

_Two young male voices seemed to be arguing. "There's no way you got a real kunai from your parents! C'mon, they don't even trust you with a needle."_

"_They gave the kunai to me for getting into the Academy! You're just jealous that I actually have one! And at least I can throw it!"_

"_You wanna bet? I can throw a kunai better then you. You probably can't even hold a kunai."_

"_I'll prove it to you!" A sudden flash of metal appeared, and a girl quickly moved to a nearby tree, not wanting to be the unintended target of a stray kunai. Looking around her, Tenten sighed in exasperation as she saw that she was not alone._

"_You cut your hair, Chizu-chan?" a high voice asked, curious._

_There was a heavy groan. "'Kaa-san and 'Tou-san said that if I was really trying to become a shinobi, I needed to make my hair short. But I'm gonna grow it back soon. Everybody will think I'm ugly with short hair."_

"_You can get hair ties. I have these really pretty ones that I never use! They're really light blue and kinda sparkly, and look good with your hair. I'll bring them tomorrow."_

"_Really?"_

"_Uh-huh. What are friends for?"_

"_Thanks!"_

"_No problem. Let's go over there, Chizu-chan, with the pretty flowers. Don't they—" the voices faded away as the two friends walked towards the nearby field. A group of girls moved in to take their places._

_Immediately, one of them began talking loudly. "Look, Sachi-chan. See that boy standing near the wall, with the long black hair? Isn't he cute?"_

"_Mmm hmm," the child answered. "And he's so cool. Not like the other stupid boys, with all the noise they make."_

_A third voice entered. "What about his eyes? I saw them. They're white!"_

"_So?" the first voice said. "He's probably really strong."_

"_I wonder who he is. I can't wait 'till we meet him."_

_A murmur of agreement echoed throughout the small cluster. "Maybe we should go over."_

_The four girls were moving closer to the boy when a clear voice interrupted. Introducing her self as the children's chuunin-sensei, the teacher led the genin hopefuls towards the Academy building. A young girl who had been hiding among the foliage looked at the wall before approaching the door. A boy, with long hair and a bandage around his forehead, stood silently, ignoring all others. She was about to turn her eyes as he looked straight at her. Their gazes caught._

_She stopped, staying in her spot until the boy followed their new sensei in. Hurriedly catching up, one thought ran through the kunoichi-to-be's mind._

**_He _**is**_ cute._**

A light laugh filled the air from a female jounin leaning against a familiar wall as she watched two young girls fighting over a boy. After a few minutes of watching, she strolled away casually to a nearby field full of flowers. Most had not yet blossomed, so the field seemed to be only green as she looked forward. Yet, soon the buds would flourish into many colors, ready for the picking.

"_As kunoichis, we must not only be skilled in ninjutsu...but also possess a wide amount of knowledge and culture. If you cannot sneak into enemy territory and pass for a normal woman, then being a spy will not be possible. Today's lesson will be flower arrangement."_

_Whispered voices remarked upon this, most delighted by what they were about to be taught._

"_Now, go off and pick some flowers."_

"_Hai!" all the girls replied, before scattering off to complete their jobs. One girl wandered off into the forest, opting for the dark, green foliage instead of the bright flora in the fields. She emerged ten minutes later, approaching the kunoichi class teacher._

_A surprised look crossed the chuunin's face. "Done already, Tenten?" She looked at the bunch of plants in the young student's hands. "You collected **herbs**?"_

_Tenten nodded. "Hatomugi is a food and medicine that lots of shinobi use. It gives you energy and Mizuki-sensei told us it's useful during missions with long hours. Senburi is a medicinal herb used in two main ways. It wards off fleas and lice, and helps the stomach. Hatomugi has white, spike-like flowers, and has lots of thin green leaves. Senburi flowers have white petals with dark stripes running down them. It's not really colorful, but my mom used it."_

"_Ah…Tenten, while your explanation did justify your choice, young girls who are not shinobi do not usually gather plants that improve their health. They would generally choose brighter, pretty flowers that match and make a room look cheerful. Look at your fellow classmates. They have grasped the idea quite well." The Academy sensei sounded stern, but her expression was one of amusement._

"_But hatomugi and senburi do match, and wouldn't some people choose them?"_

_The woman smiled. "Your objective is to blend in, and while it is true that some girls will choose the more simplistic, fresh look, most will choose the vibrant, cheerful feel. Remember, you girls will receive a test on this and you must pass. Now, why don't you go try again?"_

_The young girl sighed slightly, but placed the herbs in her pocket before replying, "Hai," and walking of to a nearby patch of lilies. She knelt down, and grimaced with distaste. She muttered softly, so no one could hear, "I **hate** learning how to be a girl."_

The present Tenten grinned as she recalled that memory, remembering the pink top she had once worn that had undermined her statement as a child. It had been nice, pretty, and definitely girly. As Tenten continued on her path, she paused in front of a familiar pavilion. There were four figures standing there, one tall, three short. They seemed to be arguing. Others passing by grinned as they heard the voices yelling, reminded of similar groups there throughout the years.

"_Yosh! Let's celebrate the spirit of youth by introducing our true selves to each other!"_

"_Yes! We must introduce ourselves to each other, as Gai-sensei has so beautifully explained!" a boy with a bowl-shaped hair cut yelled enthusiastically._

_Standing nearby, a pair of genins watched with apprehension at the two green-clad figures that looked so much alike. After noticing this, their new sensei immediately turned to the two._

"_Lee, we have committed a grave sin! In our excitement of the springtime of youth, we have forgotten our comrades. We must rectify this offense."_

"_Hai!"_

_Gai turned to his other two students. "I am called Maito Gai, the Green Beast of Konoha, taijutsu master! My drive to be strong is to protect all the people of Konoha, and keep this village safe from harm! What bring me the joy of youth is to see young, aspiring ninjas like you work hard to fulfill their dreams! Seeing evil and unnecessary hurt breaks my heart and brings forth my rage and sense of justice. Now, you will tell us all your glorious drive, joy of youth, and cause of heartache! Lee, you shall go first!"_

"_Gai-sensei! I am Rock Lee. My drive to be strong is to prove to everyone that I can be strong without the use of ninjutsu and genjutsu! I will prove that I can be a genius using hard work with my blood and sweat. A great fight where I can learn and prove myself gives me the joy of youth! The springtime of youth is destroyed by heartless acts to nature's gifts, and hurtful acts to young, blooming flowers here, he earned a rather fierce glare from his female teammate, and a well-placed kunai. I will be a protector from heartless acts!"_

"_Wonderful job, Lee! You are next, Ten Ten!"_

_The girl shook her head slightly and sighed. "My name is Tenten, not Ten Ten. Before you ask, I have no last name. Tsunade-sama, the sannin and the strongest kunoichi alive, is my idol, and what encourages me to stronger. And..." here, Tenten hesitated, before saying firmly, "I also want to become Konoha's Weapons' Mistress. I enjoy using and learning how to use various kinds of weapons. I also—er she glanced at Neji, before blushing lightly, her face falling when he ignored her, never mind. I hate it when people automatically dismiss the female race, thinking we aren't strong this was punctuated with a glare toward Lee's direction. That's it."_

"_Tenten, be more enthusiastic next time! Now, Neji, it is your turn."_

_The taciturn boy glared slightly. "Hyuuga Neji," he said evenly. "I will become strong to defeat Hiashi-sama and prove to the main house that the branch house is stronger. I—have no particular likes. I dislike the main house family. I am cursed by fate."_

"_Ah—you must learn to forget that bitterness, young Neji! But, for now, let us celebrate the springtime of youth in our first mission—survival testing!"_

_An eyebrow was raised, and two voices cried out in unison, "What!"_

"What! No training?" Tenten laughed at the sight, recognizing the team. It was created from the three remaining genins from three original teams created two years before. She watched how the jounin tried to calm his students, reminding them of the important date, before continuing on her way. Seeing a yard with trees filled with targets, she stopped yet again, revisiting memories that had not surfaced for a very long time.

"_Hey! Hey, did you hear? For the first time in five years, there are going to be rookies in this chuunin exam."_

"_No way!" a female said, laughingly. "It's probably some stubborn jounins in competition or something..."_

"_No, the story is that three of them are the students of that Kakashi."_

"_That sounds interesting," a deeper voice commented blandly. He smirked. "But in the end..." a kunai was thrown nearby. "You have to feel sorry for them."_

**Yet, little more then a week later, the three were proven wrong.**

_Tenten watched as Uchiha Sasuke defeated Akado Yoroi, an experienced genin. She observed carefully when Aburame Shino beat Abumi Zaku of the Sound—the Sound, who had been so dangerous. These were the rookies, who were supposed to be weak? She viewed Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura's match, respecting their persistence and admiring their will. And then, it was her battle._

"Sōshōryū_!" Tenten cried, sure that her ultimate attack—summoning all manner of weaponry and using chakra strings to guide them to an enemy—would beat Sabaku no Temari. But when it was stopped without even a flinch, she felt the stirrings of worry. Before she could contemplate her next attack, a voice interrupted._

"_Moon number three," Temari said mockingly. "No more chances." She disappeared._

_**What? Where is she?** Tenten thought, before a voice interrupted. "Over here." Tenten looked behind her, startled. Temari knelt upon her fan, smirking before appearing in front of the weapons' mistress, smiling scornfully._

"_Now it's my turn. Kamaitachi no Jutsu!"_

_A giant whirlwind swept Tenten up, the chakra cutting her on various parts of her body. Just before falling unconscious, she was thrown out of the chakra-induced wind and fell onto Temari's steel fan._

"_How boring," Tenten heard Temari say derisively. She felt herself being thrown, and caught by familiar arms._

"_Nice catch." The same disdainful voice said._

"_What are you doing?" That voice was above her, so loud to her ears. "Is that how you treat someone who gave her all in battle?"_

"_Shut up. Take that loser and get out of here."_

_Tenten felt Lee's muscles tensing as he put her down on the floor. She heard a voice in the distance exclaim, "Konoha Senpu!" and Neji's, "Stop, Lee!" She felt Lee's attack stopped, and listened to all of Temari's contemptuous comments. She sensed Gai-sensei racing down to interrupt, and was humiliated at the red-haired Sand genin's scathing comment about her, Gai-sensei, and Lee. And, after all that, she knew she was being carried back up, to her team._

_**I couldn't do anything**, Tenten thought despairingly. **Am I that weak?** Her last view before falling into a deep abyss of darkness was Neji's face above her, with an expression of...wait, was that—**worry**?_

Tenten grinned. She actually really had to thank Temari for that defeat, embarrassing though it was. It had taught her to depend less on her weapons, to learn a few jutsus to use just in case. And Temari wasn't that bad, insults and all.

"_Now, for the eleventh match of the day, Tenten versus Sabaku no Temari!"_

_It had been ten minutes since the proctor of the Hidden Mist chuunin finals had signaled the beginning of the match, yet neither of the kunoichis had used their signature moves yet. Tenten bit her lip, worried, before making a quick decision. Placing her two scrolls down, the weapons' user stepped back. "Sōsh—" Tenten's summon died on her lips as a gust of wind blew the scrolls away. Looking up, she saw Temari smirk._

"_I'm not going to take the risk of your summons being able to pass my wind." The Suna girl paused before raising her steel fan. "Daikamaitachi no Jutsu!" Wind broke through the mist, and hit a body. Blood spurted everywhere and Temari smiled …before the body disappeared in a poof of smoke. A battered kunai fell to the ground. "Kawarimi?" the wind-user gasped. "How did she—"_

"_While you were talking," Tenten said, rising from the ground nearby. "Fubaku Hojin!" An array of explosive tags went off around the Sand kunoichi as smoke covered the arena. Temari stumbled, burned by the small flames. She looked to her right and found that her fan had disappeared. There was no time to think, as Tenten immediately followed the blast with, "Konoha Daisenpu!"_

_Standing up, Temari quickly cleared the distance, before shifting into a taijutsu stance. "Copying your teammates, dango-head?"_

_Tenten glared, before flashing forward and aiming a kick at the other girl's head. Temari ducked. "You're not the only taijutsu-based team. With Gaara and Kankuro as my brothers and teammates, I should know taijutsu much better then you." Turning quickly, she punched Tenten in the face._

_The move started a furious battle of taijutsu, with various weapons and jutsus thrown in. Within minutes, both kunoichis started faltering—Tenten, because of Temari's superior strength and stamina, and Temari because of Tenten's many weapons. But Temari was slowly running out of energy, and Tenten was holding on to what appeared to be her last kunai. They attacked simultaneously, before being forced back to different ends of the grassy terrain. Blood trickled down from a new wound on Temari's cheek and Tenten seemed to be trying to stay conscious. Seeing this, the wind specialist chuckled wearily. "I may not be a medic-nin, but I have a basic idea of where a body's main pressure points are. Don't even try to get up. You'll definitely faint."_

"_It doesn't matter," Tenten ground out, desperately trying to stay awake. "I don't need to do anything."_

"_Really? Why—" Halfway through her question, Temari fell to her knees. "W-what's happening?"_

_Tenten stirred slightly, not yet down. "I coat poison on some of my kunai. You were lucky none of the others hit you earlier on. This one, however, did cut. It takes a while to activate, but when it does, the poison paralyzes and opponent, knocking them out. You're still stronger then me, and I probably underestimated you, but now all I need is the will to stay awake. Now all we need to do is see who collapses first."_

"_You're obviously going to," the Suna kunoichi said confidently. Then, grudgingly, she allowed a, "You're good, too. It was a great fight."_

_The weapons' user grinned slightly, before voicing a soft, "Yeah," and collapsing. Less then a second later, Tenten's poison took affect and Temari's body faltered, her body limp as she fell to the ground._

_It was a tie._

It had been a good battle, and Tenten had made a friend that day. Sure, the friend was insulting, rude, and ruthless, but most shinobi were. It couldn't really be taken as an insult. Temari was rude to everyone, even her brother the kazekage.

While Tenten had been thinking about the chuunin exams—where, thankfully, she and her team had been promoted—she hadn't noticed the path her feet had taken her. Looking down, she noticed a sudden smoothness in the road that made her stop. Her eyes rose to find the hospital standing proud in the air. This day was just full of memories, wasn't it?

_The jounin exams had started three months before. Five Konoha chuunins had attended, yet it was the youngest, black-haired, white-eyed boy who had passed._

_Tenten stood in front of the hospital, facing an internal struggle. She and Lee had received word from Sakura that Neji had woken up three days before. Just back from a B-rank mission, Lee had started spurting stuff about the spring time of youth and immediately tried to race to the hospital...only to faint from exhaustion before his first step. After leaving him at his home, Tenten had returned to her own apartment to rest. Now, one day later, she was deciding on whether or not to visit her teammate—no, former teammate. Unable to make her decision, Tenten wavered between stepping forward, and returning to her room._

"_What are you doing?" A deep voice interrupted the chuunin's thoughts. She turned sharply to her right, blushing._

"_N-neji! When did you get here?"_

_The Hyuuga looked at her. "I have been standing here for the past five minutes. To make that clearer, ever since you started stepping back and forth." There was a hint of something that resembled humor behind Neji's blank eyes. Tenten didn't know, at that point, whether she should thank or hurt Naruto for changing Neji when he returned._

"_B-but aren't you supposed to be staying in the hospital?"_

"_I was released," her stoic teammate said simply._

_Tenten glared, snapping out of her daze. "Sakura said you're not supposed to be out until at **least** tomorrow."_

_The new jounin shrugged. "I was told that as long as I 'took it easy', I would be allowed to leave."_

"_You're actually going to relax?" Tenten asked in disbelief._

_Neji didn't answer, opting instead for a change of topic. "Hiashi-sama had offered to instruct me more on the ways of the Hyuuga after the jounin exams. I do not want to disappoint him."_

"_So you got out this early to train with your uncle?"_

"_Perhaps."_

"_...oh." Tenten turned, starting to walk away, taking his answer for a definite yes. "I don't want you to be keeping you're uncle waiting, then."_

"_Wait."_

"_I know you'll probably be leaving Team Gai, too," the girl said, oblivious to Neji's comments. "Genins already occasionally leave their squads once they become chuunin, and jounins almost always start taking individual missions once they pass the exam." Truthfully, Tenten hadn't thought Neji would even stay after he had become chuunin—the jounin exams were taken alone. But now, with the rank of jounin, it was impossible that Neji wouldn't leave._

"_Tenten—"_

"_It's fine, of course. I mean, Lee's practically a taijutsu master, sure, but you specialize in taijutsu, too. I just deal with weapons. You're the Hyuuga prodigy, and you passed the jounin exams at fifteen. Nobody thought you'd stay. So really, it doesn't—"_

"_Tenten, wait." This wasn't a request, it was a command. His teammate finally shut up and stopped. Neji sighed, and walked forward. "True, I had considered leaving Team Gai," here Tenten's face fell, knowing his answer, "but, that was before the chuunin exams."_

"_Nani?"_

"_I thought about it, after I was beaten at the first chuunin exams, after we all became chuunin, and then during the jounin finals." Passing Tenten, he smirked. "It would be too annoying to have Lee chasing me, like Gai-sensei does with Hatake-san. Also, as you said, I specialize in taijutsu. It would be more of a help then a hindrance to have a taijutsu master as a teammate. You're weapons provide a method of training for my Kaiten, both for its stamina and strength. It would not be prudent of me to leave when I already have training partners."_

_Tenten looked at Neji's face, hopeful. "So you mean?"_

"_I will be staying with Team Gai and continue accompanying you on missions."_

"_Why?"_

"_I believe I have already specified my reasons. As I stated earlier, the purpose of my leaving the hospital was to train."_

"_Oh, yeah." This time, Tenten's disappointment was obvious as she stepped aside._

_Neji kept on walking, before he stopped. "Are you coming? I do not expect to train without my sparring partner. After all, you don't 'just deal with weapons' as you put it—you are a weapons' mistress, as everyone in Konoha knows."_

_It took Tenten a few seconds to process the prodigy's words—was this Neji's way of complimenting her? As soon as she did comprehend his comment, though, she jumped and started running towards her jounin teammate. "Hey, wait up! You're probably not even supposed to train yet. I'm not going to be the one that gets in trouble, Neji! You should know better..." As Tenten continued to scold her teammate, she grinned. Now she knew—she would **definitely** be thanking Naruto when he returned._

"_Tenten!"_

"Tenten!"

**Eh?** The female jounin was shaken out of her thoughts. She saw a figure beside her, like that day at the hospital. "What're you doing here, Neji?"

An eyebrow was raised. "You did not forget, did you?

Tenten was confused, before remembering. She laughed nervously. "Well, I saw the academy students gathering for the first day, so..."

"Haruno had reminded you that the newest academy students would gather for the first two hours, before returning to their families."

"Yeah, but I kind of got lost in my memories. I was on my way! The hospital is on the path to the hokage's tower. Most people aren't there yet, anyways," the woman said, gesturing at the bustling street.

Neji almost sighed. "We are supposed to gather there early. The rokudaime," here, both jounins grinned, "wanted to say something." He started walking. "Coming?"

Tenten shook her head, and caught up. "So, Neji, why were you looking for me? Worried?" She walked closely beside him.

Neji didn't reply, but he made no effort to deny her words. He also did not move away, so different from years ago. Smiling slightly, he turned to Tenten. "We can't have Konoha's Weapons' Mistress and the head of ANBU's Weapon's Division miss the Rokudaime Hokage's induction, can we?"

**Once, a toddler had a dream. It had been shattered when someone she loved died.**

**Once, a child went to the Shinobi Academy for herself. She got in.**

**Once, an Academy graduate met her genin team. Her dreams started to rebuild.**

**Once, a genin went to the chuunin exams. She learned something.**

**Once, a chuunin found what it took. She made a friend.**

**Once, a girl made a decision. She not only found the people she would protect, but a person who would protect her. She gave her heart to him.**

**Once, a jounin served a hokage who loved. She gave him her full-hearted loyalty.**

"_**I want to be a Weapons' Mistress!" a young voice said. "I'm gonna be the best Weapons' Mistress ever, and the leader of ANBU's weapon division, just like 'kaa-san."**_

**And once, a woman completed her dreams.

* * *

**


End file.
